I know one blogger who ‘smashed’ open the muladhara center after a few months, and ended up on medication. He said he felt suicidal, and nothing made any sense to him- a stranger in a strange land. He gave up his job, and alienated people around him, basically leaving family and friends. Continued…

In magic, the need to know, to understand to learn can become a bit of an obsession. But this needing to know, can actually block our progress.

I let go of the ‘need to know’ for a while, and I found I actually began to get more answers than I thought possible. In fact I couldn’t write them all down.

The universe teaches us – we do not need anything. Now if we constantly look search, need answers, they will be hidden from us, simply to teach us not to need them.

When you let go of a thing, sometimes you gain it.
He who looses his life for me, will gain it.

Life here meaning ‘worldly life’ in exchange for ‘heavenly life’. BTW the second birth or the phrase- you must be reborn, is nothing more than as the Humble Magician describes the first great initiation. Then one can be called ‘children of God’ because literally when one can be called a child of God, one can work miracles just like the humble magician.

So those being reborn become ‘children of God’ and that is what we are at, on this ‘short path’.

Notice the HM was sick for three days. It was three days when the master of Galilee walked from the desert (death) to the feast (the wedding), and it was also three days from crucifixion to the feast (resurrection), and it seems the same with initiation three days.

So when you find yourself going through a mini initiation, give yourself three days to rest, or divert to another exercise to save from breaking a habit.

If you pick cards, then you might notice the judgement card coming up a lot.

More accumulated wisdom from Divine Providence, and other magicians has been collected here

There are supposedly two churches. The church of St. Peter, and the Church of St. John. A quick explanation of the difference between the two,
as I see it =]

The church of St. Peter has the seat of the Pope filled with a man chosen for the purpose. It is St. Peter himself who sits at the throne. But in the Church of St. John, John stands by the throne, waiting patiently for the Master to return.

John was supposedly the favourite of the Master from Galilee. Also, John was supposed to be most deeply initiated into the use of the Quabbalistic Word, according to Franz Bardon.

This would make John many times more powerful, than his fellow apostle Peter. Yet it was Peter who stepped into the chair. (BTW the Church of St. John is closely associated with hermetic philosophy.)

But what has been the result? Sins like murder forgiven in advance, disgracefully in the name of the Master? Money, and power the coveted positions bought and sold by various Popes? Ethnic cleansing? Rights stamped upon?

So now we have the church as it stands. Sexual abuse, scandle, torture by nuns, interference in politics, power for power’s sake, the church is in ruins?

Now lets look at the tarot card- The tower.

It pictures a man-made structure, like a dominating man-made Ivory tower of kings and politicians (rider waite deck). In the picture, the tower is struck by lightning, and the people are cast out, falling to the ground, upside down, still with their crowns on.

The tower represents, in my opinion, a structure which has taken time to put up, and been up for a long time. But when hit by the lightning, completely destroys not only the tower, but the power and dominion of those inside- forever.

The picture below was taken the day the Pope resigned (mon 11th 2013) for supposed ill-health reasons. In the fulcrum point of power in the Catholic Church- St. Peter’s Basilica Call me superstitious !

But not wanting to denigrate the church too much.. There have been lots of bad apples, but there have been many heroes quietly working without plaudits of any kind in the Church.

People and priests working with homelessness, drugs, poverty, famine and war, work tirelessly, without reward.

But to me it seems there is a change on the way, a change for the better.

BTW, people with sharp eyes might notice the electric lighting for the Basilica. Its mostly lit from underneath.
This is negative, and gives an eerie macabre look as if lit from the lights of hell! Things which are lit from above look as if they are being lit from the heavens, which is a bit ironic.

This is a very interesting little book, written in a warm colloquial style. I feel this to be a huge asset for anyone especially people on Step I. For example, it gives some explanation of why one should not think in terms of good and bad. Why we should not suppress thoughts, because others can spring up in their place. How meditation brings up feedback, or more suggestions for the black and white mirror of the soul. How we can step back and not only examine thoughts but our life. How saying no is one of the most generous things we can do for ourselves.

It also suggests how to concentrate on one thought, no thought, or a train of thoughts as the humble magician wrote about. Also viewing oneself, which will be advantageous on later steps.

Magic and the path to magic begins and ends in joy. Wisdom, happiness, and the ability to be-cause in this world, are the off-shoots! In other words, learning to become a God is what magic is about.

But this God, magic will teach to understand that all have this potential, and all are part of God- all are equal. Humility and wonder becomes understood by the developing magician, along with exhilaration.

It is the ‘solve et coagula’, where like a metal heated to molten, the dross is removed.. All the impurities and doubt are ladled from the spirit, leaving only beautiful Gold !

During the course of Franz Bardon’s three books, the Magician practices, usually alone, without reward, certificate or medal. Often for years upon years.

Like a seed planted in the dark soil, nothing looks to be happening, but under the hood, mighty changes are occuring.